Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay
Jeffery Batters Home-Hay | |
---|---|
Born | Alloa, Scotland | 2 February 1887
Died | 14 June 1953 Kelvington, Saskatchewan, Canada | (aged 66)
Allegiance | Canada United Kingdom |
Service/ | Canadian Expeditionary Force Royal Flying Corps |
Years of service | 1914–1919 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | |
Commands held | Mentioned in Despatches |
Other work | Pioneering aviator in central Canada |
Captain Jeffery Batters Home-Hay
Personal life
Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay was born in Alloa, Scotland on 2 February 1887.[2] He was schooled in Scotland until 1904; he then apprenticed as an engineer.[3] He also apparently served in the military, probably in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Regiment, as he was commissioned into it later.[2] He was orphaned in his youth, and emigrated with his widowed mother and his five siblings from Scotland to Canada prior to World War I,[4] in 1908. He farmed at Wadena, Saskatchewan.[3]
He enlisted into the
World War I service
Although Home-Hay was originally assigned to the Machine Gun Section of the 32nd Battalion, he served in France with the 2nd Battalion from April to December 1915.[3] Towards the end of this duty, he was appointed a second lieutenant in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders effective 23 November 1915, with pay and allowances to begin 6 January 1916.[5]
He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, reporting on 16 May 1916 to Reading, England for aviation training. He was posted to No. 14 (Reserve) Squadron RFC on 19 June 1916, then to No. 6 (Reserve) Squadron RFC.[3] On 10 July 1916, he was awarded Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate number 3209.[4] He underwent advanced training at Catterick Aerodrome.[3] On 30 July 1916, he was appointed as a flying officer in the Royal Flying Corps[6] and seconded for aviation duty.[7] When he was posted to No. 53 Squadron RFC in August 1916, it was still in England. He moved with it to France in early 1917 to fly artillery cooperation duty,[4] for which he won a Military Cross. The accompanying award citation read:
- "He showed consistent ability and courage in observing for and ranging our artillery upon enemy guns, and trenches. His accurate Information was of the greatest value to our batteries."[8]
He was appointed a
Home-Hay was assigned to No. 105 Squadron RFC on 4 January 1918. On 19 May 1918, he joined the Independent Air Force's No. 104 Squadron RAF at Azelot, France.[3] He flew strategic bombing raids into Germany, scoring seven aerial victories during these raids. He and his observer were brought down on 22 August 1918 and taken prisoner.[4]
Home-Hay won a
- "This officer displayed admirable coolness and resource while leading a raid on an enemy railway station. His formation was heavily attacked by seven aeroplanes, but keeping it well in hand, he fought his way to his objective; proceeding well over the station, he successfully bombed it. In the course of the severe fighting two hostile machines were shot down out of control, one of which he himself brought down. He has taken part in eight other raids, and his consistent gallantry is a valuable asset in maintaining the morale of his new squadron."[11]
Unmentioned in this citation is an instance of gallantry that had been noted in the letter of recommendation for the award:
- "While the encounter with enemy aeroplanes was in progress at 14,000 feet over the objective, Captain J. B. Home-Hay saw a machine of another squadron which had lost its formation and was at a low altitude firing Very lights for assistance as it was being attacked. Captain Home-Hay brought his formation down to 9,000 feet and picked this machine up in his formation, and escorted it to the lines."[3]
Home-Hay's pilot's log was lost during his confinement by the Germans, but he later estimated that by war's end he had over 1,500 hours flight time in two-seater aircraft. Types flown included not just DH.9s, but
List of aerial victories
No. | Date/time | Aircraft | Foe | Result | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 30 June 1918 @ 0740 hours | Airco DH.9 | Albatros D.V | Destroyed | Vicinity of Landau, Germany | Observer: Charles Cecil Blizard |
2 | 6 July 1918 @ 0845 hours | Airco DH.9 serial number C2960 | German airplane | Driven down out of control | Metz, France | Observer: Charles Cecil Blizard |
3 | 11 August 1918 @ 0910 hours | Airco DH.9 | German fighter | Driven down out of control | Karlsruhe, Germany | Observer: William Thomas Smith
|
4 | 12 August 1918 @ 0715 hours | Airco DH.9 | Fokker D.VII | Destroyed | Saverne | Observer: Charles Cecil Blizard |
5 | 13 August 1918 @ 1545 hours | Airco DH.9 | Pfalz D.III | Destroyed | Corny | Observer: William Thomas Smith |
6 | 13 August 1918 @ 1545 hours | Airco DH.9 | Pfalz D.III | Destroyed | South of Corny | Observer: William Thomas Smith |
7 | 15 August 1918 @ 1830 hours | Airco DH.9 | Pfalz D.III | Driven down out of control | Château-Salins, France | Observer: William Thomas Smith[4] |
Post World War I
Home-Hay was repatriated from being a POW in mid December 1918.[2][3]
He was belatedly
After his return from captivity, he was assigned to schools, then to temporary command of No. 106 Squadron RAF, until he was shipped home to Canada from RAF Upavon on 10 June 1919.[3] On 18 July 1919, he went on the unemployed list of the Royal Air Force.[13]
On 7 April 1920, he asked to join the nascent Canadian Air Force.[3] Meanwhile, he was farming in Canada when asked to take part in the first Canadian transcontinental flight from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver[4] in late August 1920. Despite official miscommunications via mail, and a break from flight preparations necessitated by a brother's severe illness at harvest time, Home-Hay helped prepare planes for the flight and took part in the historic journey, returning to his farm on 23 October 1920. The next year, he took a refresher course from 20 June through 27 July to qualify for a commercial license.[3]
On 30 September 1921, Home-Hay gave up his commission.[14] He became a commercial pilot throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s for a number of early Canadian airlines–Prairie Airways, Commercial Airways, United Air Service, National Airways, Brooks Airways–all with the commonality of being based in Manitoba or Saskatchewan.[3][4]
He returned to military service with the
On 23 January 1934, he began flying for Arrow Airways. At the beginning of World War II, on 15 September 1939, he applied to join the RCAF as a Norseman pilot, as he owned Norseman tail number CF-BFU. However, his actual World War II service is unknown.[3]
Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay eventually became the oldest active pilot in Canada. He finally retired to his farm at Kelvington in 1952, where he died in Summer 1956.[4]
References
- Citations
- ^ "Jeffrey Batters Home-Hay". The Aerodrome. 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Captain Jeffery Batters Home-Hay". Canadian Great War Project. 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Home-Hay, Captain Jeffrey Batters". RCAF Association. 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Franks et.al. (1997), p. 68.
- ^ "No. 29445". The London Gazette. 21 January 1916. p. 859.
- ^ "No. 29718". The London Gazette. 22 August 1916. pp. 8289–8290.
- ^ "No. 29726". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 August 1916. p. 8489.
- ^ "No. 30204". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 July 1917. p. 7631.
- ^ "No. 30157". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 June 1917. p. 6484.
- ^ "No. 30368". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 November 1917. p. 11466.
- ^ "No. 30913". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 September 1918. p. 11252.
- ^ "No. 31101". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1918. p. 137.
- ^ "No. 31467". The London Gazette. 22 July 1919. pp. 9255–9256.
- ^ "No. 32557". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 December 1921. p. 10481.
- Bibliography
- ISBN 978-1-898697-56-5.